Student Congress

1. Student Congress Debate I

2. Student Congress • The object of student congress is to have students debate pro and con about solutions to current social problems. • Topics are presented in the form of a bill or resolution. • Each student has three minutes to give a pro or con speech with a one minute mandatory questioning period. • Judges look for refutation of specific issues as well as delivery techniques.

3. Student Congress • Contestants in Student Congress become legislators charged with the task of fulfilling the responsibilities of the legislative branch of the federal government. • Prior to the tournament students receive the topics and research those areas to prepare speeches.

4. Many students and debate coaches enjoy the Congressional Debate format because • it lets students debate material that they've written themselves, on topics that concern them. • it gives students knowledge of a wide variety of important issues. • it forces students to prepare arguments for both sides of any given topic. • it introduces students to the practices and procedures of the U.S. legislature. • it encourages students to think and speak "on their feet."

5. Format • Introduction: • A statement, anecdote, fact, or statistic designed to capture the imagination and the attention of the audience. • The introduction is then tied into the argument of the speech, as the speaker urges the chamber to vote one way or another. • Often, the three main lines of argument are "foreshadowed" to give the audience an idea of where the speech is leading, however, some criticize this addition as a waste of limited time.

6. Format 2 • Contentions: • Two or three arguments for or against the bill. • Each contention should be explained in the speaker's own words • Each contention should be supported by evidence from reputable and relevant sources.

7. Format 3 • Conclusion: • The speaker often restates his 2 or 3 contentions, and hopefully returns briefly to the attention-grabber of the introduction to give the speech thematic unity. • In some leagues, they end with the phrase "I am now open for cross-examinations and further points of clarification." • Alternatively, conclusions can consist of merely 1 or 2 sentences, frequently "For these reasons you must pass/fail this bill/resolution/ legislation."

8. Student Congress • Each Congress session is approximately 2 1/2 hours. • The session is run by a student Presiding Officer or Chair Person. • The PO’s job includes: • Recognizing speakers • Conducting vote • Keeping order

9. Student Congress • At all tournaments, you will be given lots of copies of a Speaker Ballot. • All speeches are a maximum of 3 minutes in length. • Each time a student is recognized for the purpose of making a speech, you should complete a ballot.

10. Student Congress • Fill out all identification information on the ballot. • Write comments telling the speaker what you thought of delivery and content. • Assign a score on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 6 (excellent).

11. Student Congress • Unlike other speech events, you will give the same number to several different speakers. • It is always a good idea to save the score of 6 for truly outstanding speeches. • Likewise, scores of 3 or below should be reserved for short, poorly delivered, or inappropriate commentary.

12. Student Congress • You may also be asked to judge the Presiding Officer or Chair. • At most tournaments, the Presiding Officer’s score will be based on a maximum of 12 points. • In these cases, total scores below 8 should be reserved for extreme circumstances.

13. PRESIDING OFFICER • Each chamber has a Presiding Officer or Chairman (informally known as "the P.O." or "Chair"). • At the beginning of each session of debate, debaters in the chamber will nominate candidates for Presiding Officer for that session. • Usually, each nominee will give a brief speech introducing themselves and stating their qualifications. Debaters then elect a Presiding Officer via secret ballot.

14. PRESIDING OFFICER • The Presiding Officer's job is essentially to run the debate for the session that they've been elected. This includes the following duties: • picking speakers for each piece of legislation • picking questioners during questioning periods • timing individual speeches and ensuring the speaker does not exceed 3 minutes • calling for and recognizing motions • conducting votes on motions and pieces of legislation • generally controlling the chamber and keeping debaters from becoming too unruly • The Presiding Officer is generally scored, usually by either the judges or the Parliamentarian (see below), on how well they fulfill those duties.

15. PRESIDING OFFICER • Some methods used by P.O.s include: • Tracking the number of cross-examination questions a speaker has asked • Tracking how long the speaker has been standing to speak on the current piece of legislation • Calling "randomly" on speakers • Considering which speakers were the first to stand • Considering which speakers have been standing for the most number of speeches • Distributing speeches equally among geographic regions (considering separately the four quadrants of the chamber) • Following a pattern based on location, for instance, by calling on speakers from front-to-back, or left-to-right, and then reversing the order in the following session

17. Student Congress • Your other major responsibility during the session is to note how well each legislator performs with respect to: • Participation in questioning periods • Level of involvement in parliamentary disputes • Interaction with other legislators • Decorum • Behavior • Attendance

18. Student Congress • You will be asked to select a designated number of students as the Best Legislators in the session. • Look for students who were excellent speakers and excellent legislators (may include PO). • A tournament official will tell you how many legislators to select.

20. TOPICS • http://www.gonzagadebate.com/ClassicCongress.htm • http://www.uta.edu/studentgovernance/sc/database/ • Bottled Water Banwww.bottledwaterblues.com/bottled_water_facts.phpwww.bottledwater.org/public/flash/bottled-water-v33.swfUS Newspapershttp://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2008/12/22/081222ta_talk_surowieckiwww.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_altermanPresidential Primarieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_primarywww.tcf.org/publications/electionreform/wang_primary.pdfInternational Criminal Courthttp://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_CourtThere are many articles and websites out there on each of the Student Congress bills. What I am posting is just a starting point.

21. Roberts Rule of Order/Congress Bills • For sample Congress Bills:www.ihsfa.org. Then click on link, "2011-2012 Congress Bills"

22. HOW YOU WILL BE GRADED • This is FYI for Debate Classes:For the upcoming student congress debate, speeches will be an average score of all presentations and is worth 50 points. In order to receive grade, you must speak on 3 out of the 4 bills. Score is divided into the following:10--Volume (Can we easily hear and understand what you are saying)10--Eye Contact (Do you make regular eye contact with the audience)10--Organization (Does the speech have an introduction, thesis, points of arguments, and conclusion)10--Evidence (Does the speech use quotes or statistics to provide proof for arguments)10--Engagement (Does the speaker reference previous evidence from other speakers to prove a point)Deductions will be made on average score for the following:Insults or negative remarks towards a particular speakerNot following directions of Presiding OfficerPoor use of Parliamentary Procedure

23. Student Congress DEBATE I-2